The case of Lara Alqasem: The State of Israel shoots itself in the foot

The Supreme Court decided to accept the appeal of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions activist Lara Alqasem against her expulsion from the country. Unfortunately, Alqasem received the permit to enter Israel, thus granting her official approval. The outcome of this ruling means that anyone who wants to destroy the State of Israel is respectfully invited.

For those who do not understand the seriousness of the matter, I will explain: apart from the boycott activity, Alqasem is part of an organization known as the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), whose activists are stirring the lives of many Jewish students on campuses throughout the United States. The SJP vandalizes property, threatens and uses violence against Jewish students. Its declared goal is the destruction of the State of Israel, while its logo is the State of Israel under Arab rule.

Despite all this, leftists in Israel expressed astonishment at the state’s opposition to their entry. Should a civilized country bring in those who oppose its existence? To me it is absurd.

Moreover, many of these activists enter Israel to reach Judea and Samaria and provoke riots while causing anarchy under the guise of “academic studies.” These activists are accompanied by radical leftist organizations in Israel and abroad, as we saw in the case of Alqasem. These organizations also give them financial and legal support.

At the beginning of the BDS movement, there were statements that the organizations were differentiating between antisemitism and hatred for the State of Israel and Zionism. In some of their demonstrations, signs were displayed stating: antisemitism is a crime, anti-Zionism is a duty.

Today, this separation is becoming more and more blurred: Jewish students across campuses in the USA, experience vandalism, such as uprooting mezuzot, antisemitic hate speech, verbal and physical violence, virtual threats and intimidation, and damage of Jewish and Israeli cultural events.

Unfortunately, this is to be expected. The reason is the same during centuries-long persecution of Jews: the same reason that the SJP, which Lara Alqasem is part of, hates the very existence of a Jewish state.

When this is the case, they try to harm the State of Israel in any way, even if it means spreading lies, distortions or half-truths to match world opinion to their agenda.

If BDS can be compared to a train, the extremist organizations which want the destruction of the State of Israel are the locomotive. They have one goal, and they try to attract as many people as possible across the world under the guise of “justice” for Arabs in Judea and Samaria, and against “apartheid” that does not exist. Lev HaOlam, which I founded, is very active in fighting against the BDS. We call upon all the supporters of Israel and the seekers of truth, to join us. The support of Israel from people in the Diaspora is the proper response to the BDS, along with influencing others to open their eyes and see the lies that BDS spreads.

In Israel the situation is different: I congratulate Minister [Gilad] Erdan on the persistence against the activist’s entry into Israel, but it’s not enough: The clear position of most Israeli citizens is not expressed, when the Supreme Court gives the “last word” in matters that must be clearly decided by the government. The Supreme Court is directly uprooting the law prohibiting the entry of boycott activists into Israel.

In the case of Alqasem, many facts prove that although she does not hold the position as SJP’s “president of the organization,” she is definitely in close contact with the organization’s members. One must be totally stupid to think that within a few months she changed her staunch positions toward the State of Israel.

I hope that this the last case in which an active member in an organization whose goal is the destruction of Israel is allowed in the country.

The author is based in the Esh-Kodesh settlement in Binyamin and is the founder of Lev HaOlam, which fights the global boycott of Judea and Samaria.